Author
Topic: It was a wrench to leave Arsenal but I couldn't pass up the American dream (Read 1299 times)

Kelly Smith heads to America hailed the Zinedine Zidane of women's football, with a scoring record better than a goal a game for the all-conquering Arsenal Ladies and on a mission to finally make the world pay attention.

There is a tinge of deja-vu for the England striker, who swapped Watford for New Jersey as a 17-year-old and then became in 2001 the first woman from these shores to become pro player.

The dream was painfully short and Smith found herself unemployed with a cancelled visa when the ambitious United States league she played in collapsed with massive debts after just three seasons in 2003.

Now 30, she has left Arsenal for the second time to play for Boston Breakers in WPS - Women's Professional Soccer - a new seven-team American league, which launched last weekend, that has signed up the very best players in the world.

Does Smith worry it could all go horribly wrong again?

'The whole business plan is different and they've learned from their mistakes,' Smith told Sportsmail. 'I wouldn't have thought they would come back unless they knew they could make it work.

'It wouldn't be good for women's soccer in general for a league to be suspended and go down the pan again.

'So I believe that this is a model that will work and be successful, and have the best players in the world play in the best league in the world.'

Smith can barely contain her excitement at the challenge of testing herself among a group of players that normally only come together for World Cups and the Olympics.

Only Germany's top players have resisted the lure of the greenback as the country prepares to host the next Women's World Cup in 2011 and bids to strenghten its own domestic league.

At Boston Smith will play alongside U.S. internationals such as Amy Rodriguez, Angela Hucles and Heather Mitts, exciting 19-year-old Brazil forward Fabiana and fellow England and former Arsenal player Alex Scott.

'It's been a really hard decision for me,' said Smith. 'But you don't get a chance to be a professional footballer anywhere else.

'I would've loved to stay at Arsenal with the great players that they have. The club is run professionally and with a great manager who has been amazing to me.

'It is a family club and it's been a wrench to leave. On the other hand, the chance to play professional football was too much for me to turn down.'

The Premier League Cup Final last month provided Smith with the perfect stage to sign off in style. She did just that scoring a hat-trick as Arsenal beat Doncaster 5-0 in front of TV cameras at Scunthorpe. But it was Smith's final home game for Arsenal a few days before that sticks with her as she adapts to a new life in Massachusetts

'We played Leeds in the FA Cup. The last home game,' she explained, her voice quivering. 'It didn't really hit me until afterwards, when there was a little presentation, just how much the club means to me and how good they've been to me and how it would be a sad day to leave.'

As well as Smith and Scott, Arsenal have also lost Karen Carney - to the Chicago Red Stars - though the break up of their dream team could help to make domestic women's football in England more competitive and attractive.

'Playing for Arsenal we win week in week out and the challenge wasn't always there,' admitted Smith.

Arsenal are on course to win their eighth league title in nine years after winning every match this season. Forget Arsene Wenger's Invicibles, in 2006-07 Vic Akers' side they won all three major domestic trophies and the UEFA Cup to complete an unprecedented Quadruple.

As well as the exodus to America, their dominance will be challenged further next year when the FA launches a new summer league, restricted to eight teams and imposing a salary cap and financial support to clubs in a way that should provide a more even spread of talent.

Smith believes the changes could make the league more watchable, but she is more concerned with how her former side react in their bid to claim the Treble with a weakened squad.

'They've got to pull together and prove people wrong to show that they can still try to win the league and get to the FA Cup final,' said Smith.

'It will be a hard task because everyone will be looking at the team now and thinking that they probably can't do it, but they're more determined than ever.

'They're losing three really attacking players because Alex likes to attack from deep. In Kaz (Carney) you've got the best youngster in the country - an attacking player who I rate very highly and play well with and link up with going forward. So attacking wise I think the club will be hurt a little bit.'

For the ever-improving national side, Smith believes the WPS provides an opportunity rather than a threat. As well as the Arsenal trio, Eniola Aluko and Anita Asante are leaving Chelsea to go Stateside.

'We have got five top players that are going to play professionally football every day, getting fitter, getting stronger, and working on technique every day whereas in England you're training two nights a week,' said Smith.

'In order for you to progress and develop, being on the ball every day will only help the individual and help the national team.'

England are in the ascendancy, with Smith on target as they won their first international tournament earlier this month by beating Canada 3-1 in the final of the Cyprus Cup.

The team are in good shape for the European Championship in Finland and August and got plenty of attention for reaching the quarter-final of the World Cup in China 18 months ago after a 12-year absence from the competition.

Achievements on the international stage can make the difference in the fight to get people's attention and 1.15million people tuned in to the BBC to watch England's quarter-final defeat to the United States in Tianjin, while 8.2m saw their three group games of the 2005 European Championship on BBC Two.

'It's nice to play on TV because you get some recognition and it gives people a chance who don't usually watch women's football a chance to have a look and an opinion for themselves on the game,' said Smith.

'When we got back from the World Cup it hit home how much of an impact and how much coverage we had on the TV and the support we had got.

'Just seeing the articles that were written and all the media work that we did off the back of that... And then obviously we have had a dip in profile - that's just the way it goes.

'But we've qualified now for another major tournament, in Finland in the summer. I think it will be on TV again and gives people a chance to watch women's football.

'I'd like to think (we can do well in Finland). The team have got stronger and stronger and the experience that we have now and growing together as a team.

'We were very young in 2005 when the games were held in England, but since then we've come on leaps and bounds and obviously qualified for the World Cup and now for another European tournament so that's what needs to happen in this country.

'We need to qualify for the big stage to get that big-game, big-tournament experience.'

The WPS has unfortunately been scheduled with the decisive end-of-season play-offs clashing with European Championship. The England players crossing the Pond have secured guarantees that they will be released for tournament at a time when their clubs will be trying to claim the inaugural championship.

The league kicks off on March 29, with Smith's Boston debut coming a week later in the weekend's nationally televised match of the week against FC Gold Pride in the Bay Area, California.

Smith could hardly have expected this would be her life when she kicked the ball around with boys in the Garston area of Watford as a child.

Never mind Zidane, she once stared at posters on her bedroom wall of Jamie Redknapp ('because he was cute') and her real idol Ian Wright.

Smith now has to pinch herself after spending a career wearing Wright's favoured No 8 she tends to wear for club and country.